Coffee and Books
by sweettooth97
Summary: Zoro is walking back from work when he stumbles upon a small coffee and books shop
1. Chapter 1

The man walked down the windy street trying to read his book and not have it torn from his hands at the same time. He gave up and closed the book. Placing it under his arm. The wind whipping up the freshly fallen leaves around his ankles. Making them take on the appearance of being in some frenzied dance. The forecast that morning had called for rain and the skies seemed to start poring any minute. He had to find a place to hunker down just in case it did pour sadly it seemed he had wondered into a part of the city he didn't know very well.

He followed the dancing leaves down the street until they seemed to dance down a side street. Following he found a small book and coffee shop tucked away at the end of the ally. You would have missed it if you weren't looking.

Pushing the door open he heard the chime of the bell over the door. It was a nice sound not many shops these days had them it was a nice sound to hear. His grandfather, who had been a small business owner, also had one over his shop's door.

As a kid, the man would love to stand there and swing on the door making the bell chime until the old man yelled at him. In those days he would visit thee shop everyday. But then his grandfather had gotten sick and they had to sell the shop. He still remembered his last day in the shop. The smell of the shop had seemed different that day; bitter, sharp almost as if the air knew that this day wasn't going down in the books as one to smile about.

As the man came up from his memories, he noticed the lack of shop workers. Normally in a small shop that didn't get a lot of people, the owner would be out as soon as they heard the bell or at least yelling from the back that they would be out soon. The man waited for a bit for a response at all. When nothing happened, he started to examine the shop that he had been blown into.

It seemed to be one of those of the shops that was tiny form the out side but seemed to go in forever on the inside. Near the door there were some tables and what seemed to be a suave yourself coffee machine. All around the small seating area and stretching as far back as the man could see were book shelves. Tall, arching book shelves that seemed to pull at the man.

The man started to walk down the corridor formed by the book shelves in front of him. As he walked he reached a hand out to trail it along the book coves. A habit formed from all his years spent in library and book stores. There was something about running your fingers over the spine of a book as if you could almost feel the adventures inside of it.

It didn't take him as long as he thought it would to reach the back of the store. In the back he found a small check out desk and a door way that had a small sheet hiding what lay beyond from the rest of the store.

The man was interested what kind of shop owner didn't come out to see his costumers. The man walked over to the desk and taped on the small bell that sat there. The tinkling sound of the bell seemed to also cause no reaction with in the small store and the man wondered if anyone was even in the shop besides him. After a few minutes of standing there he heard the foot steps of a person that doesn't have to get anywhere fast. The foot steps seemed to neared the door way and then the sheet was being pulled back by a tall, skinny man with the most blond hair he had ever seen.

The blond walked behind the desk before ever raising his head. When he had himself behind the desk and sitting on a stool he finally looked up at the man standing in front of him.

His eyes were the first thing that struck the man, as blue as a tropical ocean. His breath was almost taken away at how blue they were. Slowly he registered that the man was talking, "can i help you with something?" like his eyes the mans voice also had a curtain quality that stunned the man to silence.

"uuuuuu..." he stutterer out. "Right..." he tried to pull himself together as the man stared at him from the other side of the desk.

"Right," he said again, "I'm Zoro and i was kind of blow in here and well i think its going to rain...and i was well wondering if i could stay in you shop till it calmed down outside...if that is ok..."he stuttered into silence again. Looking up hopefully at the man in front of him. The man stared back with a look he couldn't quite make out.

"Sure," said the man, "by the way my name is Sanji, nice to make you acquaintance." He said stretching out his hand to Zoro. Zoro grasped it and shook it warmly but in the process of moving his arm to reach Sanji's hand he jostled his book. It fell to the floor with a small thwap.

As Zoro leaned over to get it Sanji asked, "what book you reading?"

"Oh just this book that my friend gave me. I have been trying forever to get through it. Seeing as I'm not a big reader," Zoro answered.

"Hand it over," Sanji demanded. Wordlessly Zoro passed him the book. "The power of one," Sanji read out the title, "I have heard of this book never read it myself. Is it good?"

"I'm only at the third chapter but yeah so far its really good."

And looking back Zoro guessed that was really the beginning of everything. Zoro and Sanji talked about this and that for the next several hours, until his adoptive father came home and said that it was closing time and Zoro had to go.

Zoro left that small book store that night feeling like a teenager just met his first love.


	2. Chapter 2

Like always, the work was slow and he was out the door as soon as his shift was over. It had been three weeks since he had first met Sanji. Ever day after work, he would walk as fast as humanly possible to the book shop. He would say that he was going because it was a quiet place and he needed to finish the book Robin had given him, but Nami didn't believe him.

She would stand next to the guys' usual table and stare at him until he told her to go away. Then she would huff, turn on her heel, and stalk away. Back at the girls table were Robin and Vivi, they would wait until she sat down to start discussing the "problem" as they called it. He knew eventually he would have to tell them all about who he had met, but for now he wanted to keep Sanji all to himself.

He would turn back to all the guys staring at him and Luffy giving him this knowing smile. He would stare back at them until they all went back to eating.

This day was different as he was making a bull's-eye for the door Nami stepped out into his path. He slowed with all the grace and elegance of a elephant. "What?"

"Well for a start you haven't come to the bar in a few weeks, and you wont tell us where you go after work, we are all really worried."

"I told you, I can't tell you, not yet, and I promise I will come to the bar soon, but right now I have to go." He tried to push pass her, but she held her ground. It was almost scary how strong she could be when she wanted to be.

"Talk," she commanded. He stared at her and realized she want going to let him go until he told her. "I found some one," He said.

She stared at him like she was trying to figure out if he was telling her the truth. Then she sighed and let him pass. "I want you to tell us abut him when you come to the bar on Saturday." he heard as he hurried out the door.

It wasn't a long walk to the book store and it got even shorter after he found the short cut behind the old diner.

He had so many things he always wanted to talk about with Sanji but he always ended up listening to the man talk about his problems with his family and his own friends. He had learned a lot about the man in the past tree weeks. Sanji was a cook. He had even brought Zoro food once or twice and he wasn't half bad. Sanji's adoptive father owned a restaurant, and Sanji wanted to open a restaurant of his own called All Blue. The book store had been left to them by Zeff's mother who had loved the old shop. In honer of her memory they kept it open.

As, Zoro walked in the shop for what seemed like the thousandth time; the now familiar chime of the bell told the shop owner's that he was there. Not that they really needed being told. Zeff was never there during the day always leaving the shop to Sanji, and after the first week of him coming Sanji had given up being surprised.

Zoro put his bag on the table nearest the door as he started his walk back into the bowels of the coffee/book shop. He reached the small desk and door way that he had on the first day and didn't even pause. Sanji had first invited him back there about a week ago and he had been letting himself into the back ever since.

"You're late today," Sanji stayed in a mater-of-fact tone, as he sat on one of the green swivel chairs. From what Zoro could see he had been planing out his perfect menu again. It seemed to be one of his favorite past-times but he never seemed to get it just right.

"Yeah got held up at work. Friends want to know why I haven't been around recently," he supplied dully.

"Oh," came the reply. This was normally how their conversations went until Sanji decided what topic he wanted to talk about and then he was off talking like there was no tomorrow.

Zoro sat down on the blue swivel chair next to Sanji and looked at the room again. He liked to see want had changed since the last time he was there. Some time it was small, books moving from this shelf to that one. Other timed the change was bigger, book shelves moved or a table.

Today the roomed seemed bigger seeing as they had pushed the book shelves and tables against the wall, leaving a huge space in the middle of the floor. They had then apparently moved a big rug out on the middle of the floor. He liked it. It reminded him of the times with his mother when they would push the furniture to the sides of the room and spin until they fell down and then they would laugh, loud and long. He missed his mother's laugh.

"- and then he says-" Sanji had obviously found his topic. Zoro tried to listen really he did but there was nothing in the topics essence that caught his fancy. Instead he tuned him out and took the opportunity to just watch Sanji as he talked. He was good at not listening it was an art he had mastered when his mother had died. At that time his father seemed to be able to find fault in anything he did and would bawl him out on it for hours. He loved to watch Sanji talk. He had this habit where he would pout at random moments when he talked and Zoro found this to be one of the most attractive things about the man.

And again like he had for the past three weeks he spent his afternoon watching Sanji talk about things he didn't know any thing about, and he didn't even care. Because for the first time since his mother died he was really smiling, not that fake smile that he put on to fool people but a really smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Friday Zoro asked Sanji if he wanted to come to the bar with him to meet his friends. Sanji had stared at him for a minute of two and then replied that he would be there but to not expect him on time because he had to wait till his father returned home to close up shop.

Zoro sat staring at the door. He had wanted to walk out of the bar as soon as he had walked in. His friends had fallen upon him with questions of his new friend. His friends wouldn't let up until he told them that he was coming later and they could ask him when he got here. That had been 2 hours ago. Sanji normally closed up an hour ago and it definitely didn't take that long to walk there from the shop.

Suddenly the door of the bar swung open; cutting off Zoro's train of thought. Sanji stood in the door way as he looked around looking for Zoro. Sanji caught sight of Zoro and started to make his way across to the little booth that had been unofficially officially made Zoro's group of friends after about the 2 year of them coming there every day. The seats always seemed sticky to Zoro no mater how many things Usopp came up with to clean it.

Sanji sat down heavily next him. "So were are all you friends you wanted me to meet?" He said staring at him with this weird calculating look.

"They were here just a second ago," Zoro said looking around realizing that they had in fact all disappeared. He suspected they were around somewhere waiting to see what happened. "I'm sure they will be back soon."

"Huh," said Sanji quietly beside him. They sat on the sticky booth in the back of a bat that played to loud music for awhile in silence. Then Zoro felt Sanji's hand cover his in the space between them. He stiffened but just slightly not enough to be noticed. Zoro at first thought that Sanji had just been moving his hand and hadn't noticed where his hand had landed. After about five minutes of Sanji not moving his hand again, Zoro relaxed.

His friends came back and they talked around them. Every now and then they would send a question their way but mostly it was like they didn't exist.

The booth was in one of those "u" shapes and they sat in the dead center of the "u". Their bodies hiding their hand from view. Or else he thought they were but the looks that Robin kept giving them kind of made him think other wise.

Sanji leaned over and rested his shoulder against him. Zoro looked over and raised his eyebrow at him, but Sanji just ignored him and continued talking to Usopp. Who he seemed to have taken a shine to. Zoro kind of felt left out not that he would normally talk much but now know one was talking to him at all. Ever since Franky had become part of the group they had all seemed to pair off. It's not like he minded all that much. He was happy that his friends were happy. He was just kind of annoyed that Sanji wasn't paying more attention to him.

He felt a felt a squeeze on his hand. "What are you pouting about, Marimo?" The entire Table exploded in laughter. "Marimo!" Everyone seemed to shout at once. "That's a perfect nickname for you Zoro how did we not think of that?" Luffy called over the table.

"Because you were more occupied with stuffing your face." Came Ussop's reply. Luffy laughed again and then went back to eating. Through out all of this Zoro had contented himself with intertwining his fingers with Sanji's. "So?" Came the whisper to his left.

"Oh nothing just..."

"mmmh?"

"Wondering what took you so long to get here."

"I was working up the nerve." Came the reply.

"Oh...glad you did." Zoro whispered and gave Sanji's hand a squeeze. The rest of the night continued without much incident.

Zoro walked Sanji to his house they had been the last ones to leave, and had walked all the way to Sanji's house holding hands. Zoro had been reluctant to leave, but after Sanji gave him a kiss on the cheek he left.

No one at work would look at him when he first walked in but they all had these huge grins on their faces. The day past quick but surprisingly silent until lunch when they fell on him like starving animals. "So? What happened once we left? Did you sleep with him? We all saw your hands under the table," Nami babbled.

"Yeah, I practically had to drag her away so she would follow you guys after you left the bar." Luffy added from his seat next to his girlfriend.

"No, I would have left..."

"...Eventually," added Usopp, and cowered under the ferocity of her stare.

"No nothing happened at all...much," Zoro said but no one seemed to believe him.

"Right," said Nami pulling out the word. Zoro went back to eating ignoring the looks that kept getting throne his way. He would wait all this out he decide I mean they couldn't be this interested in his person life forever, right?

* * *

The book store was quiet as Zoro walked in, almost like the day he first entered this small shop, but not quite the same. Now, he knew a tall blond that had last night kissed him on the cheek and who he hoped things could progress further then just kisses on the cheek. Now, his friends knew a tall blond that they hoped things would progress further with also because they hadn't seen him with any one in so long.

He as the last of the tinkles of the bell quieted he noticed that Sanji was actually coming to greet him this time. But he slowed to a stop at the end of the row. They just stared at each other for a while.

"Hey..." said Zoro after a bit.

"Hey," replied Sanji. And they were back to the staring match. "Oh..for the love of..." Sanji exclaimed throwing his hands up. In a few quick strides of his long legs he was in front of Zoro and pulling him into an almost bruising kissed. Zoro froze at first not sure what t do, but after Sanji pushed hard he got the memo. The kiss only lasted for a few minutes but they didn't care. "wow" Zoro whispered against Sanji's lips.

"You can say that again."

"Wow," Zoro smiled down at the man in front of him. Sanji's smiled back just as big.

"Cheeky Marimo"

"Curly-Brow"


	4. Chapter 4

Zoro smiled down at the book as he closed it. The first book, the first day, he remembered it like it was yesterday, even if had been a few of years since their first meeting. Looking up, Zoro caught a glimpse of Sanji from across the store. They had opened their own shop 2 years after their first kiss. Zoro still worked at his old job. But now, after a day at work, he would go and help out Sanji at his restaurant and book shop. Sanji still hadn't gotten his perfect menu but the customers didn't care. It just meant that they got to try more and more good food.

_A week after there first kiss Zoro took Sanji out on their first real date, alone. It had been nice. Zoro had taken him so the best restaurant in town. He had even gotten the hostess to sit them in their own corner. Zoro had planned on entertaining Sanji with the summary of the book that he had finally finished, but he ended up just staring at him until the food came. After they had gotten ice cream. Sanji had some how gotten ice cream on his nose (Zoro suspected Sanji did it on purpose). Zoro had leaned in and liked it off before he knew what he was doing. Sanji and the girl behind the counter had giggled at the look on his face when he had pulled away. Zoro had walked Sanji home and they had shared a searing kiss on the door step. _

_The day after he had been mobbed by Nami the second he had walked. She had almost killed him asking for the details. Her boyfriend had just barely pulled her off in time. _

_He didn't tell her all of it and nothing of the kiss he kept that information just a little longer. Saving it for a day she was pissed at him. Cause there was one thing that Nami loved more than bitching at people, and that was gossip._

_Six months later Zoro proposed. He did it at the Bar where all his friends could see. That night they all stayed up later than usual partying. Nami didn't make Zoro come into work the next day. He got to sleep in with the love of his life in his arms. Sanji had smiled up at him when he first time open his eyes. The second time he did Sanji was gone and it was an hour later. Thinking that he had gone to work. Zoro got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for work. "You don't have to bother getting ready for work. Nami called and said you don't have to come in today. Also hoe do you like your eggs?" called a voice from the kitchen. _

"_I thought you left for work?"_

"_Nah, old man gave me the day off. So its just you and me for a hole day. What will we do?"_

"_Its that kind of innocent question that could just lead to...a amazing day."_

_Zoro smiled as Sanji appeared in the bathroom doorway. Some toothpaste dripped onto his bare chest but that would come off in the shower. "Care to join me?"_

"_Sadly I have eggs and french toast cooking for my fiance."_

"_He must be a truly lucky guy if he has you all to him self." Zoro said after _

"_Yeah he is the love of my life." _

_The kiss is slow for them but it doesn't take long for it to get heated. "I have to take a shower."_

"_Fine, fine take your shower."_

_Zoro turned around his back facing Sanji. "That's not all that is fine," Sanji said before he slipped out. _

That was a great day thought Zoro smiling. "Oi, marimo, start helping or I'm kicking your sorry ass out of the dinning room, and you will have to do dishes."

"Yeah, yeah I hear you"

* * *

So a lot of people were asking for an other chapter. Sorry it took so long I had Finals and yeah it got really heck tick. So sorry about that again. This will be the last chapter. ope you liked it :3


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